Sunday, November 4, 2012

Wow, not ONE post from me in October...can you tell I've been busy? We've been working away learning about figurative language. It's been a challenge, but my kiddos are working on it! Our district was recently named a "District of Distinction" and is #9 in the state for assessment scores on the new state-wide accountability test! Woo hoo! I'm really trying to knock our alternate assessment standards out of the park so that we can feel like we've contributed ;-) In room 120 we have also been doing some super cute Fall and Halloween themed literacy and math centers by Katie King. I co-teach with Katie in math, so she is nice enough to send me all her wonderful units...they are fabulous and always so high quality. You absolutely won't be disappointed! If you told me I absolutely HAD to pick a favorite, I guess it would be The Busy Teacher's Best Friend. All of the activities are in black and white and you just have to print them! No printing in color, laminating, or cutting out needed. Talk about convenient! Don't worry, I feel sure she has some other themes in the works, too :) Check any of these packets out in her TpT store by clicking the pictures below (Sum Fall Fun is still totally usable for this time of year!).

Friday, September 28, 2012

I am so pumped that Halloween season is here!!! Halloween is my favorite holiday to decorate for/teach with and I am so excited to pull out some spooky centers next week :-) Bloggers seem to come up with the coolest Halloween ideas!
On another note, since we started writing, I have noticed how much my kids struggle with using transitional words and phrases in their sentences and paragraphs. So, after we finish publishing this first piece we are going back to the basics. Beginning, middle, and end it is! I'm aligning that with using transitional words and phrases by talking about what kids of transition words go in what part of a story. To help with this, I created a little center that I'm going to use with my kids during our reading centers. I've posted it here for free! :-) Check it out by clicking the picture below...

My kids are almost done with their s'more writing pieces! That has been such fun for us. The only problem is, I keep running out of time to finish them because I teach reading for way too long every day :-) Hope your year is going well...the countdown til Fall Break is on for me!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Oh my goodness, I have been MIA for so long! Sorry! Back to school has been crazy for me with a reduction in staff, new hiring, and plenty of behavior issues all around, but I'm finally feeling settled. I'll update you on how my year is going and our activities so far another time, but first I wanted to share a math freebie with you that my kids really like. It is called 1-2-3 Path and is good for working on number sense. Plus, it is differentiated with 4 different versions included! The kids color the numbers in order starting with the specified number to make a path. It's easier to understand once you see it :) Click on the picture below to download!

Friday, August 10, 2012

As promised, here are the photos of my fabulous Ocean Number and Letter Cards by Katie King! I used the bubble background pattern for the letters and the crab background pattern for the numbers. I just love them! Thanks to my sweet bf for helping me hang them :)

The numbers! Sorry about the glare...those lights were a little blinding!

The letters :) Just love them!

Also, I hung up my fabric panel/curtain to cover the C-R-A-P above my lockers today. I really like how it turned out! It is so nice to not see all the junk any more. Check it out:

I need to move it to the right just a tad, but it already looks SO much better :) I added labels to my lockers, too, to help me remember what I stuffed where :-P LOL

This is the view from my door way. Here's my sensory center. Actually, I've got other things here, too, but it is MAINLY a sensory center. It is also where my peanut ball (the LOVE of our lives in room 120) is stored.

My SMARTBoard, whiteboard, and one bulletin board. I have a voice levels chart on the whiteboard so students have a visual. There is another bulletin board on the opposite side of the SMARTBoard, but you can't see it from here. The blue shelf was built for me by the husband of one of the IAs at WES (thanks, Big Jer!) and stores by reading and math work stations. Please excuse the chair! I was hanging my clock and clock numbers from Amy Lemons.

Here's a view of the other side! You can see my curtain that I hung over two mismatched shelves beside the bulletin board. Well, I say I hung it but REALLY it was my grandfather and his wife :) Thanks, Bill and Pat!

Our whiteboards, cookie sheets, and erasers are here in these two bins. My hot glue gun was plugged in because, again, I was hanging my clock numbers. Should I hot glue things to the walls?? Probably not, but it works, right?

My behavior clip chart! The red clip is for my visually impaired student...he wouldn't be able to read his name on a clothespin, so I thought color coding would work.

Here is the front of the computer work area/my sort-of desk. I don't have a desk this year because there's just no room! It's OK, though, I'll make it :) I am going to attach my classroom jobs to the taller filing cabinet, which I was inspired to cover with fabric and duct tape thanks to this post by Katie King. I got that ADORABLE lamp at Hobby Lobby on 50% off which made it a whopping $11! :)

Here's the inside of the computer center. Nothing fancy, but it will work!

My word wall. I have to say that I am in love with this area :) The letters, background, border, whale, and sign all just worked perfectly! My inspiration for the sign came from this blog post.

Above my reading center! I grabbed the paper lanterns for $6 total (4 small, 1 large) at a going out of business sale. I made the tissue paper flowers/pom-poms after seeing them in Katie King's classroom and followed this tutorial.

Inside my reading center! I really don't like the baskets I have the books in, but I will tackle that project next summer. I can only do so much at a time! The green matches the best of any color which is why it is on top of the shelves.

My reading helpers basket! I am hoping to add more things to this, but in it right now are line readers and these super cute flower pointers I found at the Dollar Tree! Kids can use them to point to the words as they read. They were actually with all the flower arranging things when I found them, but I knew exactly what to do with them.

Love this sign! It is inspired by the same post as the word wall sign I made. Please excuse the wall, we really need to paint it but that may have to wait til fall break.

This is the table where I will do my groups. I used fabric and duct tape to cover the ugly back of our handy sensory center shelf and make it a little more cherry back there :) This was also on the advice of Mrs. King!

Here is where Terri, my right hand lady, will be doing her small groups.

I am hoping against hope to get another IA next year! This would be her table, and if we do not get one it will be an area for student independent work. Don't you love my huge stack of lamination to cut out?! :-P

Here is our cooking area. Again, please excuse the unpainted wall (and paintbrushes drying/draining in the sink)! I am trying to cover it with some new decorations. I also have a toaster oven and hot plate I need to add to the table. It will be FABULOUS to have a real place to do food prep, as I haven't had that in the past. You can't see the fridge, but it is just outside your vision in the left hand corner of this photo.

"Cook" sign to match my read and word wall signs.

NEWLY PAINTED, SUPER GORGEOUS LOCKERS! I love the color, but the new janitor just informed me that he hates it :) Ah well, you can't win 'em all. I will be making labels for each locker which is what the post-its are currently doing.

My teaching buddy Kelly's desk. She will be joining us in our room this year due to space constraints.

My other teaching buddy, Rebekah, will have a desk in this empty spot. We will be super squeezed this year, but we'll make it work!

My sweet helper, Gus. He watched me work for a good 2 1/2 hours before I took his picture.

Last but CERTAINLY not least, but sweet friend Katie gave me a wonderful set of her letters and numbers in an ocean theme!!! She is so fabulous. Shh, don't tell her, but I have a surprise coming her way next week as a way to say thanks ;-) Click here to check out these in her TpT store, and don't forget to look at all of her fabulous units AND other letter and number styles she has available, too. I'll be hanging them up tomorrow, so I'll be sure to update you on their cuteness ASAP :)

Sunday, August 5, 2012

1. Listening: I'm sitting in my bed with my poodle and all I'm listening to is the fan. Sometimes I love silence :)

2. Loving: My classroom is SO CLOSE to being completed. Really, I just need to hang up my letters and numbers (you'll see them tomorrow...I'm in love) and a few little decorations. I feel so accomplished!

3. Thinking: My bf has been gone for several days and I'll definitely be ready to see him when he gets back tomorrow! :-D Not school related, I know, but it IS what I'm thinking!4. Wanting: Next week is crazy-busy! I am taking as much time away from school as I can next week because we actually start the following one...I can't believe it! I LOVE my babies and I can't WAIT to see them, but I'll miss my freedom :-)

5. Needing: I did Safe Crisis Management re-certification last week and it about killed my poor legs and arms. I still don't think I've recovered and it MIGHT be massage time.

6. B2S Must Haves: Got the tissue paper ceiling flowers (so freakin' cute), got some of the card stock (you can never have enough, right?), and I'm working on finding the best TpT packets for my work stations! I love Susan Moran's Ice Cream B2S Packet that I just bought, and of course I love my teaching buddy Katie King's units.

I was going to do my classroom pictures post in conjunction with this one, but unfortunately I'm having trouble getting things to upload tonight. Guess my classroom pics will have to wait til tomorrow :-( BUT I am posting the three I could get to work as a little preview....I'm so pumped!

This is our classroom library/reading nook. My goal for next school year (as in 2013-2014) is to have book bins in better colors. I could only do so much this summer :-P Behind it you'll see our door, what will be our I Can statements board, the gross shelves I covered with a curtain my grandfather hung (thanks, Bill!), and my behavior clip chart.

My instruction area. I duct taped fabric to the back of my ugly brown shelf to make it a little more decorative. I am going to hang the whiteboard as soon as I can figure out how to.

My best buddy and favorite little helper! Gus visited my classroom last week to help me do some cleaning and add some finishing touches.

That's it for now! Be on the lookout for my classroom pics post TOMORROW! :-)